and merkel may be key in finding a peace solution. she is one of the few people that many say has the ear of russian president vladimir putin. for more on this, this high-stakes meeting let's get to senior washington correspondent joe johns at the white house this morning. good morning, joe. >> president obama meets with german chancellor angela merkel at a critical time as both countries are trying to put more pressure on russian president vladimir putin to de-escalate tensions in ukraine. once again, the obama administration finds itself walking a foreign policy tightrope. no doubt they will discuss more economic sanctions on russia but at some point the real question is whether tightening the screws on a major trading partner ceases to be in the interest of the german government. >> joe, a bit of a turn. another problem, really one that's plagued the administration for quite some time now. i want to get your take on. new criticism coming at the administration for their handling on the violence in benghazi, the deadly events in beng